


Metamorphosis

by Buffyworldbuilder



Series: Atonements and Fresh Starts [6]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24824557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/Buffyworldbuilder
Summary: In this one-shot, you will find that I moved things happening in Angel's world a bit. I hated the Jasmine/Cordy storyline and am skipping it. It's already happened in this AU story, so I'm manipulating the timeline for Angel.Disclaimer: The BTVS or Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon and the Marvel characters belong to Stan Lee. Only this story is mine.A reminder: I am basing this series on the movies, not the comics, so Loki isn't as evil.
Series: Atonements and Fresh Starts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766362
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Metamorphosis

_*****Sunnydale*****_

Xander opened his eyes. He could hear Anya's heartbeat next to him—one of the many differences since the All-Father had blasted him with his scepter. It was just over a week since it had happened, and Xander was still getting used to the changes. The weirdest one was the hearing. He could hear some things that he had never heard before. The heartbeat of his lover was one of those things. Normally, he only heard things like that if he really tried or it was quiet and still, like the morning awakening.

Anya told him he should be able to tell if someone was lying because heartbeats gave that kind of thing away. However, he hadn't attempted to use his new "gift" in that way; he wasn't sure he ever would. He had enough issues without worrying about who was telling the truth or not.

It wasn't like he was suddenly gifted with slayer power. He was still him—Xander, the human best friend of the slayer and a witch, lover to a former vengeance demon. The military training his alternate Halloween self had possessed was now an active part of Xander's psyche instead of the flashes it had previously been. The memories were no longer faded but were at the ready for him to draw on.

He knew that Steve would be happy when he returned. Xander was anxious for his mentor's return. Steve had gone from being a wimp to a super soldier and would understand Xander's conflicting emotions. Although Xander wouldn't consider himself a wimp after the years fighting on the hellmouth, he had been the clear weakest member of the Scooby gang. No one would view him that way anymore. He was every bit equal now to Dominic and Dave, the SHIELD members of their team. Even though that was cool in itself, it was still disconcerting. Sometimes he didn't feel like his body was his own. Luckily, he no longer found himself wanting to rape his friends like the time he had been possessed by the hyena spirit. However, he had discovered a stronger savagery when fighting demons that hadn't previously been there. Xander felt more ruthless than he had ever felt before. This bothered him. Was he losing his humanity?

He wished Steve was here to talk this over with.

******* _A Few Hours Later******_

Faith was wishing Buffy was in town. She wasn't sure how to help either Xander or Spike, and she knew they both were struggling. Although she had teased Xander for being an official member of the super powered team, he wasn't quite that. However, it was clear that he was more than he had ever been. It didn't stop Faith was keeping an extra eye out for him when they were in the field. That was a habit she had known Buffy had also when Xander was out fighting or patrolling. The thought of being the slayer in charge when Xander was hurt or killed made her want to retire and flee to a nice island. Not only did Faith have enormous respect for the regular guy who made Buffy's calling his own, she had real affection for him.

Xander might not have forgiven Faith—he probably never would. But that didn't stop Faith from caring about him. He was the only one that had genuinely tried to be her friend when she came to town. Even after she'd popped his cherry and threw him out her door like he was a stranger she'd picked up, he still tried to reach out to her. How had she repaid him? She'd tried to strangle him. The memory still shamed her. At the time, Faith has been so lost in her darkness and pain. Xander's compassion had reminded her that there was another way. It had also enraged her. She hadn't been ready to confront the realities of the path she was on.

If Xander died while Faith was in charge, not only would Buffy blame her, Faith would blame herself. She couldn't save everyone who lived in Sunnydale—she knew that. However, she'd die before she'd let anything take Xander out.

She thought about Spike a moment. The poor guy was a huddled mess in the basement of Giles and Anya's shop, crying and raving. It was time for her to do something.

First, she called Angel. "Yo, Angel. What's going on?" Faith asked when he answered.

Angel leaned back in his chair in his new offices at Wolfram & Hart and smiled. The transition of being in charge of the L. A. branch had been difficult even though it had its perks. His friends would probably curse and damn him for eternity if they knew why he'd really decided to take on this new role. Appearing to get in bed with his enemies was a risky endeavor, yet it didn't matter. Right now, only Conner mattered. Keeping his son sane and happy was worth everything to him.

"A lot. The big wigs at Wolfram & Hart have given me their Los Angeles branch to run," Angel told her, holding the phone away from his ear in the expectation that she'd yell.

Instead of yelling, Faith laughed. When she finally got control, she spit out, "So you're telling me that you are now in charge of an evil corporation worth millions and can use its resources however you want? Did you sell your soul? That's the contract the lawyers had to sign that worked there, you know."

Angel felt warm toward his friend. She got it. Faith wasn't going to reject him and condemn what he was doing. "No, we did _not_ sell our soul over to them. The contracts were examined very closely. They think they can corrupt me enough that I'll turn evil and be all the evil I can be again," he said.

Faith snickered. "I'm not sure whether you're the stupidest man on the planet or the smartest," she said.

"Your response is better than what Buffy's will be," he said with a sigh.

"You're right. She's going to slap you around a LOT. Now that she's not slaying regularly, I'm sure she has lots of pent up energy to release into you. Since she can't sex you up, she'll have to settle for beating you up," Faith said, grinning at the thought.

"Thanks for the support," Angel said dryly. "So what's new with you?"

"So much," Faith said with a sigh. "Let me fill you in. . ." It took her a while to catch him up to speed—the Scoobies had been busy. Finally, she stopped.

"Wow," Angel said. "And I thought things had been crazy with me."

"So do you think you can come to town and help Spike? Buffy could probably help, but she's helping the Captain find his friend or something," Faith said.

"I'm sure I can rearrange my schedule," Angel said. Then he thought of something. "Do you think Willow might be able to help Cordy? She's in a coma. That mystical pregnancy wasn't like her last one. She didn't give birth to a baby but a fully-grown woman. I don't know if she's ever going to wake up without some kind of help."

"I bet she would. Willow was gone a while, so she's busy with school. She and Tara are going to finish out their semester and then transfer to New York for school. I'm sure she could come see Cordy on the weekend," Faith said.

"Will's leaving the hellmouth, too?" Angel asked, surprised.

"Well, when the All-Father tells you to leave for your own good, it's not like you can argue," Faith said. "You should've seen him, Angel. He was like a real live god. Not like the insaneo one that tried to kill Dawn. He said the hellmouth would taint her magic again if she stayed too long. It's not like she can't come visit, but he said we're going to have to make due with Jonathan."

"The little guy Buffy went to school with that almost killed himself with a gun?" Angel asked in surprise.

"I guess. He's not so bad," Faith said. "We do okay."

"I'll tell my team and be there as soon as I can," Angel said.

Faith hung up and said goodbye. Knowing Angel would come help Spike made her feel like she'd accomplished something. She headed to the Magic Box. Anya was doing inventory and looking a bit lost. Faith felt bad for the girl.

"Hey, Anya. How's things?" she asked.

"Crappy," she said glumly. "My Xander is going to leave me! He's acting funny."

"Xander loves you. Not even the All-Father can change that fact," Faith assured her.

"You think?" she asked hopefully.

"I do," Faith said. "He loves you even though you tormented men for centuries. Xander's stubborn. He's not going to just abandon you 'cause some god who doesn't know the two of you tells him to."

"What if he does?" Anya asked, her fear at the thought coming through.

"Then you'll be better off without him," Faith said firmly. "If he can't love you enough to stay with you, then he's not the guy for you."

Anya nodded. Faith was right. She was single for a thousand years, never needing or even wanting a man to love her. Why should she cling to Xander if he wanted to be free? But she was the best thing that ever happened to him, and if he was smart, he'd never let her go!

Faith's phone rang. She looked at her phone, not recognizing the number. The area code wasn't local.

"Yo," she said.

"Faith?"

"Yep. That's my name," she said. "Who is this?"

"Oh, uh, well, this is Bruce—Bruce Banner," he said.

Faith grinned. "Bruce? Is everything okay?" she asked, figuring he was calling for some big bad. Then she thought, "Is it Buffy or Clint? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he assured her. "I was just checking in with you to see how things were going there."

"Oh," Faith said, caught off guard. "Things are five by five. The king of Asgard was here with his bad boy son a week ago. Gave some gifts that are still giving."

"Really?"

She told him what was going, and he listened.

He called her a few days later and listened again. It was nice having someone to talk to. Faith hadn't really had that. She'd had her first Watcher who'd cared about her and the Mayor. Bruce didn't seem to want to use her like both of them had. He just listened.

One day after Spike finally crawled out of the basement, she called Bruce for the first time.

And just like that, Faith had a friend.

When Spike crawled out of the basement of the Magic Box for the first time since getting his soul, no one but Anya was there.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said. "Are you sane now? Angel said it might take a while."

Spike gave her a faint smile, always appreciating her blunt mannerism. "I'm okay," he said. "Feeling peckish."

"There's some blood in the back," she said.

A small fridge in the training room that mostly held bottles of water for Faith and the team's workouts also held some packs of blood. There wasn't a microwave, so he had to drink it cold. As he sipped his blood, the thought about his visit with Angel a few days earlier.

_****Flashback****_

_Spike couldn't escape the pain. His head hurt because he couldn't rest, and the images never seemed to stop. Every victim he had slain seemed to be crying out. His ears wouldn't stop ringing with their yells, their pleas._

" _Stop it! I didn't mean to do it. I couldn't stop it. I-" he stopped as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs._

" _Spike?"_

" _Angel?" he asked in surprise. His former mentor's voice was as familiar to him as his own—more even._

_Angel looked at him with sympathy. "It sucks, doesn't it?" he asked._

" _The Old Man made Willow put the spark back in me. Now things are all screwed up!" he cried, wiping his eyes. How did he have so much tears in him? He was such a bloody wanker! Self-loathing filled him._

" _I know, Spike. It hurts," Angel said._

" _How long?" Spike spit out._

_Angel shrugged. "It took me decades. And even then, I'd go through dark spells of living like a beggar on the street, wallowing," he said._

" _I can't take it!" Spike said, kicking over a table._

_Angel put his hand on his shoulder. "You can. You can handle anything," Angel said firmly. "It wasn't you that killed those people, Spike. A demon stole your body."_

" _I can remember every moment! I'm cursed!"_

" _I know," Angel said. "But you are stronger than me, Spike. I was a lousy, selfish human and so evil as a vampire, I was cursed with a soul. You, though, earned your soul. You're different than me. This is a blessing, not a curse."_

**** _End of Flashback****_

Angel stayed a night, catching up with Faith, keeping an eye on Spike. Then he was satisfied that Spike wasn't going to go meet the morning sun, he left.

Spike wasn't sure Angel was right. He didn't feel blessed right now, but he supposed having a soul had to get him some respect from some. Would Buffy every look at him the way she looked at Angel? He wasn't a monster anymore.

"Feeling better?" Anya asked.

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "What's going on with you? Where's everyone?"

"Faith and Xander are with Jonathan, trying out a locator spell that he is practicing. The civilians are patrolling somewhere," she said with a shrug. The SHIELD team with all their training were still considered novices by the rest of them.

"How's the whelp? Is he all super powered now?" Spike asked. The thought of the whelp being stronger than him pissed him off.

"He says that he can hear and smell better than before. Mostly, it's the military training that seems to be the strongest. The hyena spirit isn't possessing him again—he swears," she said.

"No super strength?" Spike asked, encouraged.

"No. He's a better fighter, though," Anya said. "I suppose that's good. He's safer than before."

"But it bothers you?"

"What bothers me is that the All-Father told me I didn't belong with Xander—like he was above me or something," she said, obviously deeply upset by it.

"Xander above _you_?" Spike asked incredulously. Then he laughed. "I think that All-Father needs another magical nap!"

Anya smiled at Spike, grateful for his support.

Clem came into the shop. "Hey, Spike. How you doing?" he asked.

"Okay," Spike said with a shrug. "It's still weird, but I'm managing."

"So you wanna go play some kitten poker?" Clem asked.

"Sure. I should leave Anya's place and head back home anyway," Spike said. "Thanks, Anya." He gave her a hug.

"We're hugging friends? When did we become hugging friend?" she asked, a bit freaked. Then she took a whiff. "Take a shower while you're gone. You stink!"

Spike grinned at her and left with Clem. He listened to Clem chat away while keeping an eye out for baddies. When they were attacked, he almost sighed in relief.

"The Big Bad is back!" he exclaimed as he pounded into the demon.

***** _Los Angeles*****_

The first weekend they had free, Tara and Willow went to Los Angeles. They approached Wolfram & Hart's law office with trepidation. Xander insisted on going with them. He wasn't about to let his girls go to an evil law firm alone. It didn't matter that Willow was more than capable of leveling the entire building—he would be there to ensure they were safe.

Tara, though, made it to the lobby and stopped. "I feel sick. I don't want to be in this building, Will," she said. The evil was like a thick coating, covering everything.

"Why don't you two go to that coffee shop across the street?" Xander suggested. "I'll go get Angel."

The girls gave him a grateful look and went out the front door. The security guards were eying him curiously.

"I'm here to see Angel. He's expecting me," Xander said. "Xander Harris."

Angel told the guard to send Xander up. Where was Willow? He buzzed the team. In less than a minute, Gunn, Fred, and Wesley were in the room. "Where's Lorne?" He asked.

"Right here, Big Guy," Lorne said as he came into the room. "Where's the lovely witches I've heard so much about?"

"They're outside," Xander said as he made it to Angel's office. His shock over Harmony as Angel's secretary wore off by the time he stepped inside Angel's very large office. He took in the large window and the not frying of the vampire. "Special window glass?" Angel nodded. "Guess working for evil has its perks."

Angel couldn't help but bristle at the man's criticism. "We don't work for evil. We're just working in their building," he said coldly.

"A nuanced but real difference," Wesley said. "Good to see you, Xander." He held out his hand to Xander.

Xander could tell right away that Wesley had changed significantly. He looked more like a Ripper than Giles ever had. "Same here. I take it the demon hunting here is every bit as dangerous as in the hellmouth," Xander said, gesturing to the scar around Wesley's neck.

"You have no idea," Wesley said hollowly. Then he smiled. "Well, you probably do."

"I really do. Helped raised Buffy from the dead and didn't think to dig up her coffin," Xander said, a momentary look of disgust on his face. "I thought Clint, Buffy's brother, was going to beat my ass. He threatened to have Willow beat by the Black Willow. Instead, he called Thor and had her taken away for detox."

"She is different," Angel remarked, having seen her when he visited Sunnydale to see Spike. "I can tell. I don't think you've ever met the rest of the team. That's Charles Gunn. Everyone calls him Gunn. He's now in charge of our legal department. Fred here is our head scientist—a brain like Willow but smarter."

"Really?" Xander asked, grinning at the Tara-like girl. She was giving off Tara vibes. Then she started talking, and his grin grew wider. "It's like she's Willow and Tara in one person."

Angel thought a minute and laughed. "You might be right," he said. "Without the magic."

"I'm Lorne. I'm in chare of entertainment," Lorne said, giving him a friendly smile.

"He's an empath demon," Angel explained. "Not an evil bone in his body. He was a part of the team before we joined here. If you sing for him, he can tell you your future."

Xander's eyes widened then he shook his head. "No, thanks. I like surprises. Keeps life interesting," he said.

"So where are the girls?" Angel said. "No offense, but I don't think you can do anything to help Cordy."

"They didn't make it pass the lobby," Xander explained. "The evilness of the place was too much for Tara."

"You live on a hellmouth," Gunn pointed out.

"Yes, but the energy there is dispersed over a large area. Here it's a thick rope that permeates—at least that's basically what she said," Xander said with a shrug. " Unlike me and Willow, Tara didn't grow up on a hellmouth and is more sensitive to things. They're waiting in the coffee shop across the way."

"I'll go take them to see Cordy," Angel said, standing.

"Call us if you have news," Wesley said.

"So Cordy was a big part of your team, huh?" Xander asked, a bit surprised.

"She's not the girl you dated in high school, Xander," Wesley said. "Of all of us, she has changed the most."

"Willow's a lesbian now. That's a big change," Xander said with a grin.

Wesley gave him a faint smile. "Yes, but Willow is the same earnest person she always was. Cordy was self-involved and shallow. Now she's selfless, brave, and most importantly, self-sacrificing to the extreme. She took all those visions from the Powers, all that pain and suffering until it almost killed her. A lesser person would've been driven mad."

"Not Cordy," Gunn said with a proud grin. "And she's the only one that can give Angel a kick in the butt when he needs it."

"I can see some things about her then are the same," Xander said happily.

"She's not going to like the move here," Angel admitted with a wince. He could already picture her reaction.

He and Xander walked down to the elevator in silence. "I think you're going to regret this choice that you made here," Xander said to him as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'm sure I will," Angel acknowledged as he pushed the lobby floor. "But it's done. I did it for several reasons, but the most important one will never change—I'll never regret what I did even if no one ever agrees or hates me for it."

Xander nodded. "Buffy's going to flip," he said.

"Yes, she will, but she'll get over it or never speak to me again—it's her choice," he said warily. "I still wouldn't change the decision. This was the right thing for me to do. I'll deal with the consequences. Wolfram & Hart won't find me an easy mark. I know evil, Xander. I live with it inside me every day. Angelus isn't gone, you know. He's just not in control. I'll be okay."

"I'm sure you will. I just hope your team that trusts you doesn't become a casualty of your choice," Xander said as the elevator stopped.

A short time later, they were at the hospital where Cordy was kept. Xander hated to see the first girl he had ever loved in such a condition.

"She's breathing on her own. That's good, right?" he asked Xander.

"I guess," Angel said. "She was possessed by a higher power that tried to take over the world. But she carried the power like a baby, so Jasmin was inside her for months and then birthed as a full-grown woman."

Xander shuddered, trying to picture it. He reached for her hand.

Angel couldn't help the surge of jealousy that Xander's presence brought out. Cordy loved Xander once, and he'd hurt her badly. Of course, neither Xander nor Cordy were the people they were in high school.

"I hate seeing Cordelia like this," Willow said.

"You can help her, right?" Angel asked hopefully.

"She restored Spike's soul. There's not much she can't do," Xander said confidently.

"Will, her aura is being killed," Tara said in alarm. "Something is very wrong."

"I will try the cleansing spell that Odin taught me," Willow said.

"I have a potion that cleanses aura I can make, too," Tara suggested.

"This is going to take a while, huh?" Xander asked.

"Yes," they said.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Angel said, leaning against the back wall, his arms crossed. He wanted to be there when Cordelia opened her eyes.

Several hours later, however, Cordy was still in a coma, and both witches were very frustrated.

"I don't understand," Willow said. "One of the things we've done should've worked. Her body is healed. I healed any damage to her female parts and her brain. We tried cleansing her."

"I think that whatever had a hold of her has still claimed her somehow. Maybe her soul isn't completely in her body," Tara suggested. The two women looked alarmed. How do they reclaim a partial soul?

"Wouldn't you just do what you did to Spike?" Xander suggested.

"It's not the same," Willow said, shaking her head. "I don't want to hurt her by trying that."

Xander thought about it. Then he realized something. "Why don't we get the All-Father here? Odin can surely fix her."

"If he can't, then no one can," Willow said. "But he's in Asgard. I don't have a way to contact him."

Tara didn't mention her gift from Loki. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friends or Willow. It was that she liked having a friend that was just her own. She'd mention it if things were dire.

"He said that we were connected. That I was his. Maybe that means I can contact him," Xander suggested.

"How's that supposed to work?" Angel asked.

Xander shrugged. "I'm not sure. Do I just, like, pray to him?" he wondered.

"Can't hurt," Willow said.

Xander thought a moment. Then he said, "Silently or out loud?"

"He's not the Creator. He's not omniscient. I'd go without spoken prayers," Willow said.

Xander felt more than a little uncomfortable, but he looked up. "Dear All-Father—I mean Odin. Are you there? Can you hear me?" he asked.

A voice spoke in Xander's head. _I can hear you, Alexander. Do you need me?_

"I hear him!" Xander exclaimed happily.

"I didn't hear anything," Angel said doubtfully.

"He's in my head," Xander said, his eyes taking on a far-off look. "Can you help my friend Cordelia? She's a champion for good and has been very abused by a higher power that hijacked her body to birth some type of hell demon with mind control powers."

_Think about her, Alexander. We are connected. You do not need to speak. Simply think what you want me to know._

Xander's mind thought of all the many memories of Cordy—the good and the bad. Then he thought of her impalement and her devastation that he and Willow had caused. _She's been working with Angel in Los Angeles now helping people. She gets visions of people in need. They were very painful for her, but she bore the pain. A higher power hijacked her body, and she's all messed up. Willow and Tara couldn't fix her. Can you help her?_

_Heimdall will bring her to me._

Xander was so surprised that he spoke aloud. "You're going to take her to Asgard?"

"What?" Angel asked.

The connection was gone, though, so Xander blinked in surprise. "I don't know. He's sending someone to take her.”

"Better in Asgard than here where your evil employers can hurt her," Xander said.

A few minutes later, a very large dark-skinned man with weird glasses came to the room. Angel and Xander's danger sense went haywire while Willow and Tara smiled.

"Hey, Heimdall!" Willow said in greeting.

"It is good to see you both," he said. He looked at Cordelia intently. "I have seen what happened to her. She has been violated in the worse way possible. Simply waking her up with not be enough to aid her. The All-Father will need to help her damaged psyche."

"I think I fixed that already," Willow said.

"Some aid needs to be rendered while she is conscious," he replied.

"I'll go get her signed out while you guys wheel her outside," Angel said, uneasy in the man's presence.

"Oh, Heimdall, that's our friend Angel and that's Xander, my best friend," Willow introduced.

"It is an honor to meet friends of the brave Willow and selfless Tara," Heimdall said regally.

"Did you hear that they saved the queen and the people of Asgard from evil elves?" Xander asked Angel as he was about to leave.

"What?" Angel asked in surprise.

"We'll tell you later," Willow said, waving him out. "Let's get her out of here."

It took nearly a half hour to get her discharged and out the door. The sun had set, so Angel was allowed to accompany them. Heimdall took them to the edge of the large parking lot and opened up the biofrost. Angel and Xander were suitably impressed.

Both Angel and Xander said goodbye to Cordy, kissing her cheek. Then she was gone.

"I hope this works," Angel said with a sigh.

"It will," Willow said confidently.

"So tell me about these evil elves," Angel said as they walked to his car.

***** _Asgard*****_

Cordelia Chase, former resident of Sunnydale and currently a seer, opened her eyes after months of stillness. She looked around and saw a very old man with an eyepatch smiling kindly at her. Nothing looked familiar. No one she saw looked familiar.

"Where in the world am I?" she asked.

"You, my dear, are in Asgard," the old man said.

"Huh?" Cordy replied. Where the hell was she?

***** _The End*****_

_I hope you enjoyed this one shot. It occurred to me as I was writing this that I NEVER write about Cordy because she's already dead in the BTVS timelines I work from. I've written her before as a ghost but not as a real character to work with. Thanks for reading. Reviews make my day!_


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